An Act of True Love
by grrlgeek72
Summary: Written for "What IF?" week of Frozen Fandom Month on tumblr. WHAT IF Elsa froze her own heart instead of Anna's as they argued at the Ice Palace? How would Anna revive Elsa? How would the Kingdom react to Anna becoming Queen? And ... what about Hans? And Kristoff?
1. Chapter 1

**An Act of True Love**

Written for "Frozen Fandom Month, What IF?" week.

 _This story begins during the reprise of "For the First Time in Forever." Anna is confronting Elsa, trying to get her to return to Arendelle, but only succeeding in pushing her into a panic attack. In this alternative universe, however, when Elsa explodes with "I CAN'T!", she freezes her own heart, not Anna's, and immediately turns into an icy statue. We pick up our story when Kristoff runs into the room to find Anna horrified at what has happened._

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"I CAN'T!" Elsa screamed and a blast of ice magic radiated out from her heart to the entire room.

Anna looked up in horror from where she had fallen to the floor when she slipped on the icy surface. The blast went over her head, seemed to bounce off the walls and back onto her sister. Elsa shuddered, then took deep, panting breaths.

Kristoff ran into the room and slid to Anna's side, saying, "Are you alright?" He helped her to her feet and they both turned to look at Elsa, who had turned at the sound of Kristoff and Olaf coming into the room.

"Who's this? Wait, it doesn't matter. You have to go," Elsa demanded.

Determined to help her sister, Anna stubbornly replied, "No, I know we can figure this out together – "

But Elsa was having none of it. "How? What power do you have to stop this winter? To stop me?" Her voice was pleading, desperate.

Before Anna could respond, something terrible happened. A crackling sound and Elsa turned to ice, the blue spreading from her heart. In an eyeblink, Anna and Kristoff were staring at an icy statue.

"No, Elsa!" Anna screamed and ran to throw her arms around Elsa while Kristoff and Olaf watched sadly.

Kristoff didn't know what to do. His acquaintance with Anna had been short, but he felt protective of her. Bold, exuberant and more than a little foolhardy, she had let nothing stand between her and finding her sister, even braving the howling storm in a ball gown. And although Elsa had plunged Arendelle into an untimely winter, the story Anna had told Kristoff tugged at his heart. For some reason unknown to Anna, the two women had been separated for thirteen years. Now it appeared that Elsa's reason had to be Elsa's magic powers to control ice and snow, a power that was revealed when Anna pushed her too hard at the coronation ball.

Watching the two, a memory struggled to the top of Kristoff's mind, a memory of a King and Queen and two little girls coming to the trolls. One of the little girls had ice powers and had apparently injured her little sister. With sudden clarity, Kristoff realized that he had witnessed Elsa and Anna coming to Grandpabbie. He gulped, wondering how to share this with Anna.

He walked up to Anna and gently touched her shoulder. "Anna, Anna, we need to do something."

Anna stood up, reluctantly releasing the hug on her sister's still form. "What? What do we need to do?" Her tone was bitter, accusatory. She was blaming herself for pushing Elsa too far, talking instead of listening, thinking only of herself, not what her sister was suffering. She glared at Kristoff, daring him to say something.

"We need to get her to the trolls," he said.

Anna reeled. What? Trolls? They were only a myth, no, a fairy tale to frighten small children. "Trolls? What are you talking about?"

"Trolls exist, and they can help us, but you have to trust me. Please?" Kristoff begged.

Wiping her cheeks with the back of her hands, Anna sniffled and said, "Alright. What are you going to do?"

"It's not safe to leave her here alone. Someone might come. I'm sure there are search parties out looking for both of you. If she's left here unprotected, they might decide that the only way to end the winter is to – "

"End her. You're right. We need to get her somewhere safe. How?" Anna asked him, stroking Elsa's cheek.

"I can carry her down to someplace away from here, someplace where I know there's a small cave. No one will find it, if you don't know it's there you'd never stumble on it. Then you and I can go to the trolls and get their help."

An hour later, after an arduous journey, they had found a small cul-de-sac, and Kristoff put Elsa down carefully and took a few deep breaths to get his wind back. He rolled aside a boulder to expose the little cave and they managed to get Elsa inside and situated before the last of the light died as the sun disappeared below the horizon.

"Now what?" Anna asked.

"Now I push the boulder back, and we go see Grandpabbie," Kristoff replied. Once the boulder was back in place, Kristoff looked at Anna and said, "Do you have enough energy to walk for another hour? It's that far to the trolls."

"Yeah, I can do that much, but I'm not sure how much more I can do." Anna yawned.

"Don't worry, we can spend the night with the trolls. It will be safe there, and I have a little cave with a bed you can use." Kristoff assured her.

"Wait, what? Why do you have a bed there?" Anna was startled.

Kristoff rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, well, it's like this. I kinda got adopted by the trolls when I was little, maybe eight years old? I was an orphan, and I happened to stumble into their valley, and … well, it's a long story and you need to hear the rest of it. But can it wait until we get there? I promise I'll tell you everything."

Anna's mind was in a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts. She was still in shock over the events of the last couple of days, she was consumed with worry about Elsa, and now Kristoff was telling her that the trolls were his adopted family. He had been a good companion to her so far, she had to admit she probably would have frozen to death or gotten eaten by wolves if she hadn't run into him at Oaken's. She trusted him, and so far that had worked out.

Taking her silence for consent, he asked, "Do you want to ride Sven? He can carry you if you want."

"Yeah, Anna, I can walk!" Olaf had been riding Sven off and on as they had come down the mountain. "Here, take my place." The little snowlem hopped down from Sven's back, and Sven snorted what could be assent.

"No, I'll walk. I'm afraid I'll fall asleep and then fall off. Let's go, before I do fall asleep on my feet." Anna looked at Kristoff and he led the way down the trail toward the Valley of Living Rock.

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Prince Hans and his search party came around the rocky outcropping to the sight of Elsa's magnificent Ice Palace. Reining in his horse, Hans turned to the men with him and said, "We are here to find Princess Anna. Be on guard, but no harm is to come to the Queen. Do you understand?"

Most of the men nodded, and they all dismounted. One of the men took the reins of all the horses, then Hans led the rest up the staircase into the entrance hall. They looked around in awe at the beauty of the structure. But there was no sign of anyone.

Hans barked, "You men spread out and search this place. I'll stay here in case you flush out the Queen and she tries to escape." The men moved to obey.

A short time later, they all returned and reported that they had found no one. Hans fumed. Where was Anna? Where was Elsa? Elsa must have built this place, although he couldn't imagine how. But they had seen no sign of Anna on their travels here. Had she fallen into a crevasse on her forlorn quest to find her sister? Become prey for the wolves? No matter. It was dark now, they needed to get back to Arendelle. He'd figure something out. If Anna returned, it was good, he was her loving fiance. If she didn't … he was the ruler of the kingdom. Either way, Hans thought, he won.

"Mount up. We'll return to Arendelle and send out more search parties in the morning," he ordered.

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By the time they got to the Valley of Living Rock, Anna was almost asleep on her feet. She stumbled along next to Kristoff, leaning into him occasionally, hanging on to Sven's harness other times. They finally arrived, and she stood blinking, wondering why Kristoff had brought her here. It was a small glen in the rocks, surrounded by steam vents that apparently kept the area warm, even as winter covered the rest of the landscape. She leaned on Olaf as Kristoff strode to the center of the area and said, "Hey, guys, I'm here and I need Grandpabbie."

"He's crazy," whispered Olaf out of the side of his mouth. Anna had to agree. She didn't see anything but a number of small boulders, moss covered and still.

That changed as the boulders started to rumble and roll toward Kristoff, causing Anna to cry out, "Kristoff!" as she worried he would be crushed. But the boulders suddenly unfolded into small, stubby people, and one of them yelled, "Kristoff's home!"

The crowd of trolls were clamoring for Kristoff's attention while Anna and Olaf watched in amazement. One of the trolls noticed them standing there and yelled, "He's brought a GIRL!" A group rolled over to Anna, picked her up and carried her to where Kristoff was standing and pushed her into his arms.

Embarrassed, Kristoff flushed and said, "I'm sorry. They get excited. I've learned to just roll with it."

Anna had to smile at the smaller trolls hopping up and down trying to talk to Kristoff. They were certainly glad to see him, maybe they were his family.

The crowd parted as another troll rolled up and unfolded in front of them. He was clearly older, wearing an elaborate cape of moss.

"Kristoff! Why have you come and brought this girl here?"

"Grandpabbie, this is Princess Anna of Arendelle. You should remember her. Her father brought her to you thirteen years ago, the night I was adopted."

Anna looked at Kristoff, her jaw hanging open as she absorbed this statement. She had been here before? Why didn't she remember that? Meeting trolls would certainly be something a five-year-old would find memorable.

Pabbie didn't say anything for a moment, then motioned to them, "Come sit over here, Kristoff. It is clear that Princess Anna is ready to fall over from exhaustion."

No sooner had he said that then Anna swayed and leaned on Kristoff's arm to stay upright. "I am, please … "

Leading her over to a low shelf of stone, Kristoff helped Anna sit, then sat next to her, but left a bit of distance between them. He was still uncomfortable touching her or being too close. She was a Princess, and he was just an ice harvester. Worse, if what she had told him was true, she was engaged to a Prince. Propriety demanded distance.

Pabbie stood in front of them, and the rest of the trolls formed a small crowd around them.

"Your Highness," Pabbie began, "I am sure that you have many questions. I will answer them all, but why has Kristoff brought you here once again?"

Anna tried to gather her thoughts into something coherent. "My … my sister, Elsa, she's … frozen herself. And the kingdom. And it's all my fault." She began to cry, leaning on Kristoff's shoulder.

Seeing that she was too overcome to speak, Pabbie said to Kristoff, "Can you help explain?"

Kristoff was concentrating on trying to comfort Anna without touching her, but nodded at Pabbie and began to relate the entire story. The part about the coronation disaster that Anna had told him about, the meeting at Oaken's, the trip to the Ice Palace and the confrontation with Elsa.

" – and then the Queen turned to ice right before our eyes. We took her to a small cave where she would be safe, then came here to get your counsel, Grandpabbie. What can we do?"

Anna had managed to compose herself and sit up, hanging on Pabbie's response. He had to be able to help her sister, he had to. Trolls were magical, everyone knew that. Well, those that actually believed they existed.

Pabbie seemed to be mulling the story over for several minutes before he spoke up. Rather than answering Kristoff's question, he addressed Anna. "Your Highness, this is all my fault."

"Huh? How can it be your fault, uh, Grandpabbie?" Anna asked.

The eldest troll hung his head in shame. "Because, when your father brought you here, the advice I had given him and your mother and Elsa was unclear. Your father mistaking my words as instructions to hide Elsa away, even from you, her beloved sister, and then all the lonely years followed. Had I been more explicit, your father would have understood that I meant that ELSA'S fear would be her enemy."

Anna was stunned. "What … what happened that they brought us here? I don't remember any of this!"

Pabbie took her hand in his own, then explained what had happened, how Elsa had accidentally hurt Anna, how he had changed Anna's memories to wipe out any recollection of magic.

"So, you see, I had thought that Elsa would learn control, and you would be brought back into regular contact with her. Instead, the two of you have suffered unimaginable loneliness because of my failures."

There were long moments of silence as Anna absorbed this information and realized how it completely turned her life of the last thirteen years upside down. She shrank into herself as she finally, truly understood just what Elsa was hiding, and it was not the **existence** of her magic, but the hurt that she had done **with** her magic.

"Oh, Elsa," Anna whispered.

Kristoff had listened intently to the story Pabbie had to tell. He had seen some of it, but it had been too complex for his eight-year old self to fully understand. Now, as an adult, his heart broke for the two sisters. He could tell Anna was unable to compose any coherent questions, so Kristoff asked the most obvious one.

"Grandpabbie, how can we release Elsa from her own magic?"

Anna stirred and looked at the old troll, holding her breath to see what he would say. She would do anything to save Elsa, anything at all.

"Kristoff, Princess Anna, only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart," Pabbie said. His eyes were sad.

"What exactly does that mean, Pabbie? If lack of clarity started this mess, let's not have some vague proscription here at the end of it," Anna asked. "Would a true love's kiss thaw Elsa's heart? But there is no man who she loves or who loves her."

"No, nothing so simple as a kiss. In this case, I would think it would be an act by Elsa herself, sacrificing herself for someone she loves," responded Pabbie.

"That makes no sense, Pabbie," interjected Anna. "Elsa is frozen solid, she can't do anything anymore while she's frozen!"

"I know, my child, but that is the way I interpret the situation. I am sorry," Pabbie replied.

"She sacrificed herself for thirteen years! Doesn't that count?" Anna's question was angry; she was angry – at Pabbie, at her parents, at Elsa herself for not telling Anna the truth once their parents were gone. "She was trying to protect us, me and the kingdom, because she had this awful idea that she was dangerous!"

"I don't know, apparently not, or she would have thawed already." Pabbie was almost as distraught as Anna.

Kristoff asked, "So, what should we do, Pabbie?"

"I don't know, Kristoff. Perhaps Anna should return to Arendelle to reassure the kingdom, while I do further research. Until we come to some other conclusion, I think it best to leave Elsa where she is hidden, to protect her from anyone who might do her harm."

Kristoff looked at Anna, who was clearly drained of all the bright energy she had radiated through the last day and a half.

"Okay, but we need to sleep here tonight, then go down to Arendelle in the morning. Come on, Anna, let's get you to bed." Kristoff stood and helped Anna to her feet, then led her off to his small cave. She would be comfortable there while she slept. In the morning, after a good breakfast, they would return to Arendelle.

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To be continued ….


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 – An Act of True Love**

Anna sat listlessly on the side of the bed, rubbing sleep out of her eyes and trying to gather sufficient energy to get dressed. Last night she had hung her cloak and dress on pegs and crawled under the blankets in just her shift and bloomers. Sleep had claimed her within seconds. And then presented her with troubling dreams.

Dreams of sitting outside of Elsa's door, as a five year old, eight, twelve. Knocking futilely and never receiving a response. The memorial service. Sobbing outside of Elsa's door in her mourning clothes. The disaster of a coronation ball, Elsa fleeing across the fjord on icy footsteps as her magic spread to all the waters surrounding Arendelle. The final blow – Elsa as a blue statue, looking at something in agonizing fear, never to be warm and loved ever again. Anna had tossed and turned and muttered as the dreams blended into each other. No, her sleep had been anything but restful.

"Anna, are you awake?" Kristoff's voice came through the door.

"Yes, Kristoff, I am. Give me ten minutes to dress, okay?" Anna managed to stand and walk the few steps to a small table with a pitcher and washbasin. The pitcher proved to be full. A quick splash on her face and hands, a rather threadbare towel to dry off, and she put her clothes back on. She looked into a small cracked mirror above the washbasin and could see the exhaustion still in her eyes. She grabbed her cloak and went to join Kristoff, Olaf and the trolls.

It seemed that trolls knew how to cook food that humans could eat. "Of course, dear, how do you think Kristoff got to be so big and strong?" One of the trolls smiled at her as she explained. Anna thought her name was Bulda, she was apparently Kristoff's adoptive mother. The porridge was rich with groats and berries and cream and Anna felt much better after three bowls.

Before they left to walk back to Arendelle, Grandpabbie spoke to them. "Anna, be … circumspect about sharing where Elsa is, until you know who to trust. Your story about the Duke's reaction to your sister's magic makes me concerned that some may wish to bring back summer by removing the source of the winter."

" _By killing Elsa, you mean,"_ thought Anna to herself. The thought of her sister dead overwhelmed her with grief and fear.

"Would that work, Pabbie?" asked Kristoff.

"I don't know, Kristoff. Again, I must do further research. It MIGHT bring back summer. However, usually the mage who casts a spell must remove it. If Elsa is killed before she thawed the kingdom, it could result in the winter truly becoming eternal, and perhaps even spreading until the entire world is buried under ice and snow for all eternity." He reached up to take Anna's hands in his own. "Be brave, Anna. Go back and deal with your kingdom, for it is yours now, until and unless we can free your sister from her frozen fate. Return here with Kristoff in several days, and I will share what I can find out."

"Thank you, GrandPabbie. I will." Anna looked at Kristoff and added, "If Kristoff will guide me back here." Kristoff nodded his assent.

"Now, go. But be wary. There is great danger in these events. Trust your heart, but let your head guide you as well," finished GrandPabbie.

Anna and Kristoff set off for Arendelle, with Olaf riding Sven again. The weather was not stormy; there was no snow swirling and blowing. But it was still below freezing and nothing had melted.

At first, they walked in silence, which Kristoff realized was not normal for Anna and indicated how upset she was. "Skilling for your thoughts, Your Highness?" He was thinking he better get used to treating her like the royalty she was if they were going back to Arendelle. He was just an ice harvester, a commoner. They would part ways and never see each other again once they got to the castle.

Anna looked up at him. "I think 'Anna' is fine, Kristoff. You've saved my life, you've helped with my sister, you've known us for thirteen years, even if we didn't know you."

He coughed uncomfortably. "Ah, you saved my life, too. If you hadn't thought to tie the rope to the ice pick and use it and Sven to pull me up, I would have joined the sled at the bottom of that canyon."

She smiled, "A life for a life, I guess we're even on that. I need a friend, Kristoff. When we get back, everyone will be all agog at what's happened, and when I tell the story, I'll need you to back me up."

"What are you going to tell them?"

"The truth, mostly. How we met, how we found Olaf, and the Ice Palace. But we'll leave out the part about meeting Elsa and her freezing herself and where she is hidden. We never saw her, we don't know where she is. Oh, and I guess we should leave out the trolls, too."

Kristoff nodded. "Yeah, they really don't like anyone knowing where they are and that they really exist."

They didn't talk much the rest of the way to Arendelle. It was still a hard slog through the snow even if it wasn't storming and a pale sun tried to shine through the thin clouds. Finally they were on the stone road leading to the town and then to the castle.

As they approached the gates, Anna heard one of the guards call out into the courtyard, "It's Princess Anna, she's back!" The gates opened and Kai was there to greet them, along with several other servants and Royal Guardsmen.

"Princess Anna, you're safe! Did you find your sister?" Kai asked.

"No, Kai, I didn't. Let's get inside and get the Royal Council gathered and I'll fill them in." She waved toward the castle doors. "Is Hans here?"

"Not right now, Your Highness. He led a group out yesterday to find you when your horse came back but they couldn't find you. They had a story about a fantastic palace made of ice!" Kai exclaimed. "Prince Hans led another group out to search again this morning. They should be back before nightfall."

"Yes, we saw the Ice Palace, too." Anna was weary. A night of troubled sleep and a long walk left her almost too tired to speak. "Could I have a bath and clean clothes and then lunch? Then tell everyone to gather in the Council chamber in … three hours."

"Of course, Your Highness." Kai looked at Kristoff blandly but Anna got the message.

"This is Kristoff, an ice harvester. I met him at Oaken's, and he guided me to the North Mountain. He saved my life when we were pursued by wolves, and I owe him a sled. For now, his reindeer, Sven," she waved at the animal, who had been ignored by the crowd, "should be given a stall in the Royal Stables, and can you find a room for Kristoff?"

Kristoff hastily exclaimed, "A room in the stables is all I need. I'll take care of Sven myself!" He shuddered internally at the thought of a room in the castle. He wouldn't know what to do with a soft featherbed.

Kai glanced at Sven, then noticed Olaf standing half-hidden beside him. "My word, Your Highness! What is THAT?"

Olaf walked up to Kai and announced, "Hi, I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs! Elsa made me!" He flung his twiggy arms wide, waiting for his hug.

Which was not forthcoming. As Head Butler, Kai was not fazed by anything. He merely looked down at the little snowlem with a bland face and said, "Welcome to Arendelle Castle … Olaf."

Anna giggled. "Kai, Olaf will probably be staying close to me." Kai nodded agreement, then waved to indicate the little party should proceed into the castle.

"Uh, Anna?" Kristoff hesitated but followed a few steps behind.

"Yes?" Anna was too distracted by the thought of lunch and clean clothes to be paying attention as they walked across the courtyard.

"I can just get Sven stabled and settle into whatever room Kai can find for me. Castles aren't part of my world."

She spoke to him over her shoulder and said, "You need to come to the Council meeting, we're going to tell everyone what we found and decide what to do next. Without Elsa … " Anna's voice trailed off.

"You are the Regent, Princess Anna," Kai said.

Anna stopped dead in her tracks. "Ooooh, no, I forgot about that! What am I going to do? I can't run Arendelle by myself!"

Kai cleared his throat and assured her, "Your Highness, you don't have to run it by yourself. That's what the Council is for. Until Queen Elsa returns, you and the Council are the government of Arendelle."

He turned to Kristoff. "Mister ?" the question clear in his tone.

"Bjorgman, Kristoff Bjorgman," Kristoff replied.

Anna winced and hoped no one noticed. _"I didn't even know his last name. Great._ _Dumb, Anna, dumb, dumb, dumb,"_ she thought.

"Mister Bjorgman, allow me to have one of the footmen," Kai waved at one of the men standing around, "take you and … Sven … to the stable. He will also show you a room, and help you clean up before the meeting. Would you like to change clothes?"

"Uh, no, these are all I have. Everything I owned was in the sled."

"Very well. Lars, please take care of Mister Bjorgman, and bring him to the Council chambers at the appropriate time." Kai dismissed the little problem of Kristoff and led Anna into the castle.

Three hours later, bathed, fed and refreshed, Anna felt as though she might manage to deal with the Council. _"Come on, Anna, you can do this!"_ She was trying to convince herself and not succeeding very well. _"Elsa, you stinker, I wish you were here."_ Of course, the whole problem was that Elsa was NOT here.

As she was walking into the Council room, she heard her name called, "Anna!" It was Hans, returning from the search.

"Hans!" Anna was startled when he took her hand and kissed it.

"Anna, I was so worried that something terrible had happened to you!" He was clearly ecstatic that she was back and safe. "We didn't find any sign of you or Queen Elsa!"

"No, no we didn't either," she replied.

"We?" His eyebrows rose in question.

"I'll explain in the meeting. Come on." She led him into the Council room, where several people were chatting, some of the dignitaries who had been in Arendelle for the Coronation were in another small group, and Kristoff was off by himself, feeling as out of place in this room as a herring on North Mountain.

Kai's voice rang out, "Princess Anna of Arendelle!" Everyone turned and bowed, Kristoff a beat late as he saw what they were doing and hurried to do the same.

Anna managed to get to her seat without tripping, and Hans gallantly held her chair out for her to be seated, then took his own seat at her right hand. This resulted in several pinched looks from some of the Arendelle Councilors.

Once everyone was seated, Kai took his place next to the door, and silence dragged out for several moments. Once it was clear Anna wasn't going to open the meeting, the Bishop, who was a member of the Council, decided to do so himself.

"Your Highness, may I first say how glad we all are that you have returned safe and sound? We are all eager to hear what you have found in your search for the Queen."

Anna realized she had to lead this meeting, even though she had no idea how. "Um, thank you, Your Grace. I think it would be best for me to say that before the day of her coronation, I had no idea that Elsa had magical powers. But she was clearly trying to conceal them because she didn't want to hurt anyone."

"You don't know that, she almost killed me!" The Duke of Weselton was one of the people at the table and he was still furious.

Hans interjected, "You slipped on her ice, Your Grace. She wasn't trying to hurt you."

This set off a generall hubbub that dismayed Anna, with voices rising in volume and becoming more angry by the moment. She didn't know what to do to stop it.

"Silence!" commanded the Bishop. "Stop this unseemly bickering." He glared at the dignitaries. "This is a matter for Arendelle to deal with. You are all our guests, and we will provide all the hospitality we can, but the issue of our Queen is for us to deal with."

Anna spoke up, "Yes, please, I appreciate that this is an unsettling series of events, but we need to plan what to do until we get Elsa back."

The Duke scowled at Anna. "What makes you think she's coming back?"

Anna shrank back from his hostility and had no answer. Elsa was frozen by her own magic, and might never come back, but Anna couldn't say that to these men.

Hans took her hand and patted it, then spoke to the Duke. "Your Grace, let Princess Anna tell us what she found. Or you shall be removed from this meeting!"

"What gives you the right to speak for her, Prince Hans!" snarled the Duke.

"I am her fiance, I am merely .."

Hans was interrupted by the Bishop. "I'm sorry, Your Highness, but you are not."

"Not what?" demanded Hans.

"At the ball, before the … incident, when Princess Anna asked the Queen to bless your marriage, Queen Elsa refused. Without that agreement, no engagement can be entered into. Until the Queen returns, or is declared dead and Princess Anna ascends the throne as heir, you cannot become affianced." There were nods all around the table. This was a matter of long-established law. The monarch had to approve all marriages within the line of succession to the throne.

Anna was stunned to hear this, and wondered why she seemed … almost glad … to hear that she wasn't engaged to Hans after all. She happened to glance down the table and noticed that Kristoff seemed to be suppressing a smile for some reason.

The Bishop had continued to speak while Anna was distracted. "It was perfectly appropriate that you acted to carry out her wishes when the Princess went to find her sister, and Arendelle thanks you for your efforts during this crisis. I am certain that you will continue to serve the Princess as we go on, but I did want to clarify that point of law so that we are all clear about who rules Arendelle in the absence of our Queen. And that is Princess Anna and this Council."

"Thank you, Bishop Norgaard. I appreciate your clarification. I think I need to tell all of you what happened on my search for my sister, then we need to figure out what to do next." Anna finally got her wits about her and did her best to emulate what she called 'Elsa's Queen Face'.

She proceeded to tell the tale of the quest, introducing Kristoff as the expert guide who saved her from the wolves and led her to the North Mountain.

" – and we searched that amazing Ice Palace, but couldn't find Elsa anywhere. We made camp that night in a good spot Kristoff was familiar with, then came back here." Anna related. "In his aid to me, he lost everything he owned. I … uh … I command that his sled and all his belongings be replaced and paid for by the Royal treasury in gratitude for his saving my life and helping me search for Queen Elsa." She looked back at Kai, who nodded. She knew it would be taken care of.

Hans then related the searches he had led, which also turned up no sign of the missing Queen. Silence fell when he finished.

"Well? Now what?" demanded the Duke of Weselton. He had remained quiet during the explanations, but now inserted himself into the discussion again.

Anna was still unsure of herself, but the encouraging look she got from the Bishop, and the little squeeze Hans gave her hand helped. "Now, we continue to deal with the winter weather and help those suffering from this. And continue the search for my sister. Thank you all, and we will provide quarters and food for those visitors until the fjord thaws and they can return home."

"What if it never thaws!" demanded the Duke.

"We can only deal with the situation as it unfolds, Your Grace," responded the Bishop in his most formal voice.

Anna stood to leave, she really needed to escape this room, and everyone hastened to rise and bow. Hans followed her out of the room and down the hallway toward the library. Everyone else broke up into small groups to talk about the situation. Kristoff stood alone again, until Kai approached him.

"Mister Bjorgman, are your quarters satisfactory?" he asked.

"Uh, yes, more than satisfactory."

"Then, if you will come with me, I will provide you with enough gold to purchase a new sled and anything else that you lost when you rescued the Princess." Kai gestured to the doorway, and Kristoff followed him.

" _Once I have the sled and supplies, I can get out of here and get back to the mountains. Anna doesn't need me anymore, and she is safe here with the people she knows and trusts._ " Kristoff thought to himself.

He wondered why the idea of not seeing Anna again bothered him so.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 – An Act of True Love**

"Anna, slow down, we need to talk!" Hans called out to Anna's rapidly retreating figure.

She stopped and waited for him to catch up. "I'm sorry, Hans. I'm just so overwhelmed. First the ball, then Elsa running away, the wolves, everything."

He gently took her hand in both of his and said, "I understand. You know that I'll be here for you, right? Even if we're not engaged?"

His eyes were as dreamy as ever and his touch still made her blush, but for some reason Anna felt the tiniest bit uncomfortable as he said the word 'engaged'. "I know. And I really am grateful for everything you did after I left ... you passed out the warm cloaks and made everyone hot soup and then came after me and – " She stopped when he put a finger on her lips and chuckled.

"You are the warmest, gentlest person in the world, Anna. Don't ever change."

"I'm exhausted. Will I see you tomorrow? I really need to sleep now. For a couple of days, maybe," Anna said.

"Yes, I'll see you tomorrow. Good night, my princess." He kissed her hand again, then went back toward the Council room.

Anna went to her bedroom to find Olaf there. Where she had left him before the meeting, but she was surprised he was still there. "Hi, Olaf. I hope you weren't bored."

"Nope. I was getting used to heat. I love it, but I learned not to touch it." He held out his hand, Anna could see it slightly scorched. Looking at the fire in her fireplace, she shuddered at the thought of Olaf melting.

"Olaf, stay away from the fire, you'll melt!" She scolded him.

"Okay, Anna. I'll be careful." He waddled over to the window, hopped up onto the cushioned seat and watched the gulls over the fjord, humming a little tune about summer.

Anna was changing into her nightgown when there was a knock on the door. "Who is it?"

Gerda opened the door and peeked around it to say, "It's me, Your Highness, may I come in?" When Anna nodded, Gerda came in, carefully closing and locking the door behind her. Anna wondered about that – it was somewhat odd behavior for the servant woman, who had been on the staff since before Anna was born.

"Gerda?" Anna's voice was quizzical and she noticed that Gerda was carrying a book in her hand.

"Your Highness, I must beg your forgiveness for keeping secrets from you for most of your life," Gerda began.

Anna sat heavily on her bed and groaned. First Pabbie, now Gerda. "Let me guess – you knew all about Elsa's magic." Anna waved to give Gerda permission to sit in the chair next to her bed.

"Yes. But we were under strict orders under pain of dismissal from your father the King never to speak of this to you. He asked for our oaths, and we gave them."

"'We'?" asked Anna. How many other people knew about Elsa? Anna's spirits were wilting by the minute. "Was I the only person in this castle who didn't know what was going on? I feel like a fool." Anna's tone was bitter and accusatory.

"Kai knew, and I knew. Someone had to know in case anything happened to your parents. And I was the only maidservant that took care of Elsa, poor lamb."

"My parents died three years ago, Gerda! I had to deal with their memorial service ALONE! Where was Elsa?" Anna was rapidly moving from bitterness to anger.

"Your Highness, the death of your parents did not release me from my oath. I had hoped, oh how I had hoped, that once Elsa became Queen she would … come to you and share the secret, or at least free Kai and me to share it with you if she could not," Gerda explained. "She did not. And the reason she could not attend the service with you was because her magic spiraled completely out of control from her grief. When I went to tell her it was time, she had frozen her room over. She was so frightened that she would hurt people, hurt YOU, that she refused to come out of her room." Gerda's eyes were bright with unshed tears. "Don't ever think she didn't miss you, Your Highness. She missed you so much it almost destroyed her. But she did what she saw as her duty."

Anna slumped back onto her bed, almost sick to her stomach at the thought of Elsa hiding alone and afraid. "Oh, Gerda, I could have helped her, if only they had let me."

"I agree, Your Highness. Many's the time we tried to persuade your father to try a different approach, but he was too afraid that Elsa would hurt you again. Or that she would be hurt by people afraid of her magic."

Anna mulled over Gerda's words. _"Huh, 'fear will be your enemy'. Pabbie was right – Papa totally missed what Pabbie really meant. Damn it."_ She could not share this thought with Gerda, though. She noticed the book in Gerda's hand again. "What's that, Gerda?"

Gerda looked at the book with a somber expression and replied, "This is your mother's journal, Your Highness. I think, under the circumstances, she wouldn't mind my sharing it with you." She extended the book to Anna. "She began keeping this journal the night after … well, read it. I think it will explain a lot of things for you." Gerda stood up and curtsied. "With your permission, Your Highness, I will take my leave."

Looking at the book in her hand, Anna nodded. Just before Gerda reached the door, she called out, "Gerda. I suspect I won't get much sleep tonight. I don't want to be disturbed tomorrow morning unless Elsa comes back. Please see to it."

Gerda curtsied again, then left and closed the door behind her.

Anna looked at the book again, took a deep breath, and opened it to the first entry.

" _We have just returned from the trolls, and Anna is sleeping peacefully. Elsa is not – the experience has frightened her almost beyond her ability to cope and she wouldn't share the room with Anna. After much weeping and pleading with me, she is asleep in our bed, and Agdar has gone to sleep in one of the guest rooms, leaving it to me to comfort our eldest daughter. Even as I write, she is tossing and whimpering, no doubt in the throes of a bad dream. I will lay with her and comfort her as best I can, but I must get my thoughts down before I can sleep."_

Long hours later, Anna had read the entire journal, up to the morning of her parents' departure on their ill-fated journey.

" _I am leaving this journal behind as I won't be updating it on our trip. Gerda will guard it for me. Elsa will be left in charge in our absence. In spite of her isolation, she has been an apt pupil for Agdar's tutoring in statecraft, and I have no doubt she will one day be one of the great Queens of Arendelle's history. She is apprehensive about dealing with matters in our absence, but Agdar has tried to reassure her that she will do well._

 _If only I had been able to persuade him to let Anna back into Elsa's life. He is stubborn, too stubborn. I know his only concern is for both girls' well-being, but my mother's heart tells me Elsa with Anna would do so much better._

 _Perhaps I can talk to him about it on this voyage – away from the burdens of the kingdom."_

Anna closed the book – there were no more entries. She wondered if her mother had managed to bring her father around to her way of thinking. Too bad no one would ever know.

"Look, Anna, the sky's awake!" Olaf was pointing out the window at the Northern lights.

A sad reminder of how she used to wake Elsa up to play. Her mother's journal explained the accident, the trip to the trolls, Pabbie's admonition, her father's bad decisions, and all the years of loneliness for the two sisters. It was clear that Elsa had loved her from afar the entire time, that her only concern was protecting Anna and anyone else from what Elsa came to consider her 'curse'.

"I'm not awake, Olaf. I'm so tired I may sleep for a week. Try not to scare anyone around the castle." She yawned so hard she thought she'd dislocate her jaw. "Maybe you can go keep Sven company in the stable if you get bored watching me sleep."

She tucked the journal under some clothes in a drawer, blew out the lamp and crawled under her blankets. In spite of the thoughts of Elsa and the events of the past three days, she was asleep before she heard Olaf say, "Okay!" and waddle out of the room.

x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x

After Hans had left Anna, he returned to the library, where an impromptu meeting of the foreign guests to the coronation seemed to be going on. The Duke of Weselton was upbraiding the French ambassador while the Irish and German diplomats watched in amusement. Hans walked up to the group and interrupted the ranting. "Your Grace, the so-called 'Sorceress Queen' is not a monster. If she had meant us harm, she had ample opportunity to do so before any of us suspected she had magic powers. Wouldn't you agree?"

The Duke looked skeptical, but the rest of the group seemed to concur with Hans. He continued, "Now, let us partake of Arendelle's hospitality and be gracious guests."

After a light dinner, Hans approached the Duke again and said, "Your Grace, I hope that I have not seemed too harsh to you. Perhaps if you and I discussed this in private, we can come to an accommodation." The two men left the library and went to the Duke's assigned guest apartment, luxurious and fitting his rank. The rooms Hans had been assigned were slightly less refined, but he was only a thirteenth-in-line Prince. A situation that Hans had plans to change, but first he must recruit this crotchety old man.

x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x

It was almost noon by the time Anna finally woke up. Olaf was nowhere to be found, and she hoped he hadn't gotten into any trouble. She dressed quickly, brushed and braided her hair, and went down to the kitchen for lunch. She wasn't up to the effort of being civil to a bunch of dignitaries today, and she'd probably spill soup on that venal little Duke if he kept on about Elsa.

Gerda found her in the kitchen a little later. "Your Highness, how are you today?" Anna could hear the unspoken question in her head. _"Were you troubled by the journal?"_

"I'm good, Gerda, thanks. I … understand a lot more now. You helped a lot."

"The Bishop has asked for you. I believe the Council will be meeting in an hour or so, and he wanted your presence," Gerda explained. Anna sighed and nodded.

After another meeting that discussed the needs of the kingdom dealing with the out-of-season cold and snow, Anna left, grabbed a cloak, and headed to the stable. She wanted to check on Kristoff. He wasn't there, but Sven and Olaf were. "Hi, Sven, hi, Olaf. Where's Kristoff?"

Olaf said, "He went into town to get a new sled. He said he'd be back by dinner time."

"Oh. Okay." Anna wondered where the little twinge of disappointment came from. "I'll come back later."

Dinner was in the formal dining room that evening, although the fare was rather more sparse than dignitaries might be used to being served in a royal castle. No one complained. The Council meeting made it clear that if the winter lasted more than a few weeks, starvation was going to destroy the kingdom. In the meantime, food was being rationed to make it last as long as possible until a solution was found. Rationed for everyone, even nobles visiting from other kingdoms.

After dinner Hans asked Anna if she wanted to take a walk with him, and she agreed. "Let's go to the stables, first. I need to check up on Kristoff."

"Of course, Anna," Hans agreed. She didn't notice the briefest of scowls that passed over his face.

Kristoff was mucking Sven's stall when they got there. Kristoff wasn't a big fan of people in general, but the Prince set his teeth on edge even more than most. But … Hans was wooing Anna. She would become Queen if they didn't figure out a way to thaw Elsa, and a Queen needed a Prince, not a commoner as a consort.

"Kristoff, have you gotten a new sled yet?" Anna asked him.

"Uh, yeah. Went into town, picked one out. Prices went up because of … well, because. But the merchant had heard about our … adventures, so he was willing to put me at the head of the line. I'm picking it up tomorrow. Along with everything else I bought to replace my stuff."

"Okay, great. You and Sven being taken care of?"

"Yeah, we're good. Don't worry about us."

There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment before Hans said, "Anna, we need to get back inside. You're shivering from the cold."

She wasn't sure that was the reason, but she waved goodbye to Kristoff with a wan smile and left with Hans.

Kristoff tossed the next forkful of straw out of Sven's stall with rather more force than was necessary.

x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x

Another day, another Council meeting. Anna was only half listening to the discussion, her mind was reviewing the revelations in her mother's journal, which she had read all over again the previous evening. All she could think about was how lonely Elsa had been, how focused she had been on isolating herself to protect Anna and the kingdom. _"Your devotion to duty, Elsa, was admirable. It would have been more admirable if you had been smart enough to share your secret with me after we lost mama and papa."_ But Elsa was her father's daughter, with the same stubborn adamantine will. Her first duty was to protect the dominion. Her own happiness wasn't even in the picture.

" – and so we welcome Prince Hans to present his proposal to find Queen Elsa," intoned the Bishop.

Wait, what? Anna snapped out of her reverie to see Hans coming into the meeting. He smiled at her, then strode confidently to the head of the table and bowed slightly to the group.

"Your Highness, gentlemen, thank you for allowing me to present this plan. It is clear that unless Queen Elsa is found and convinced to remove this … winter, we are all doomed. Rather than waiting, I propose that we muster all available men to comb every inch of Arendelle until we either find the Queen or conclude that she is dead by some mishap."

"Why do you think that will do us any good, Your Highness?" asked one of the Councilmen.

"I think we must assume she is still alive. Perhaps she is injured, lying hurt and helpless. Does it not make sense to find her before it is too late? Even if she is not hurt, she must be somewhere. Delay only makes survival less likely," Hans explained.

Anna worried at her lip. The plan made sense, but … if they didn't find Elsa, they would certainly find the trolls. She couldn't say anything against the plan without raising suspicions, so she remained silent.

After waiting for her to say something, the Bishop said to Hans, "How soon do you think we can do this, Prince Hans?"

"I think if the military, gendarmerie, and citizens familiar with the Arendelle forests gathered the day after tomorrow, it shouldn't take more than two days to comb every inch of this kingdom and find the Queen."

"Why the day after tomorrow?"

"So that we can spend all day tomorrow with maps and plan out how to divide the landscape so that the searchers cover all the ground without duplication." Hans had every detail covered.

There were nods all around the table. "Very well," said the Bishop. "All those in favor of carrying out this plan of Prince Hans?" Everyone agreed. The Bishop turned to Anna, who was deep in thought. "Your Highness? Do you approve?"

"Uh, oh, yes, yes, of course. Thank you, Prince Hans." Anna managed to pull her thoughts back to the meeting long enough to sound like she had been listening all along. Hans bowed to her and the rest and left the room.

A few more agenda items, mostly concerning food supplies, and the meeting was over. Anna left in a hurry and went to her room to think. _"I need to talk to Kristoff. We need to check on Elsa, and then go to the trolls and warn them about the searchers."_ She threw on a cloak and went to the stables.

"Kristoff?" she called as she walked in, then was dismayed to see that Sven's stall was empty. She found a stable boy and asked where Kristoff was, and was told that Kristoff had left about an hour earlier. Anna ordered her horse be saddled, then rode out to find him, assuming he would head back to the valley where the trolls lived.

Riding hard, she caught up with him in less than an hour, right along the path she thought he would take. "Kristoff!" she called out. Sven was moving at an easy walk, and Kristoff reined him to a stop when he heard Anna's voice.

She pulled up next to the sled and asked, "Where are you going? I thought you'd stay at the castle!"

"Your Highness, I thank you for replacing my sled and belongings, and now it is time for me to return to my family." Kristoff's voice was odd, Anna thought. Stiff and formal, not at all like he had been on their search for Elsa.

"Kristoff, you are welcome to stay as long as you like!" she protested as she dismounted from her horse. "You have to come back to Arendelle with me."

"Why? You are safe with your friends now. I'm glad that I was able to help, but you don't need me any – " She wasn't listening to him, so he asked, "What are you doing?"

She was tying her horse to a ring at the back of the sled and getting up into the driver's seat with Kristoff. "They are going to search the entire kingdom the day after tomorrow! We have to warn your family to stay hidden, and we have to check on Elsa! So you need to come back with me."

Kristoff thought that over, then said, "It makes no sense to go back. We should go on, it's almost dark now. We can camp in a clearing not far ahead, then get to Elsa first thing after sunrise. After we check on her, we can go warn GrandPabbie. Besides, I'm not worried about anyone finding the trolls."

"Okay, but this is different – they'll be using hundreds of men to search, are you sure none of the troll kids wouldn't get curious if a whole bunch of strangers suddenly show up?" Anna explained.

Kristoff had to admit she had a point – this kind of search had never happened before. Warning the trolls would make it certain none of them revealed themselves to the humans.

Later, after setting up camp, they were sitting around the fire sipping coffee. The meal had been … okay. Kristoff had managed to snare a rabbit, and that had been dinner. He hadn't had much to say, on the trip or since they had camped, and it was bothering Anna.

"Are you angry at me for some reason?" she asked.

Kristoff kept poking at the fire with a stick. "No."

"Then why aren't you talking to me?"

The sparks from the fire rose into the sky as a particularly hard poke moved a small log. "Anna … you're a princess, I'm a commoner. You're back in your world and I should go back to mine."

She was indignant. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He looked at her, face red from the fire and her anger, wisps of ginger hair sticking out from her cap, hands on her hips as she glared at him. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Kristoff turned his gaze back to the fire, ignoring the question.

"Kristoff Bjorgmann you answer me right now!" Anna demanded, and she threw a small snowball at his head.

"Ow! Hey, what's that for?" Kristoff rubbed his head where the snowball had knocked his hat off.

"For ignoring me! I've had thirteen years of being ignored and I'm not putting up with it anymore!" She was really angry now, he could tell.

"Your Prince isn't ignoring you!" Kristoff scoffed. Her mood changed so quickly he was sorry the instant the words left his lips.

"He's not my Prince," she whispered. "I don't want a Prince." A sniffle, then she bent her head and began to cry. It was suddenly too much for her. Elsa being frozen, the possibility that Arendelle would expect HER to take over as Queen, her sudden doubts about whether Hans was her true love.

Kristoff was taken aback. He had seen Anna cry over Elsa's situation, but that made sense. This made no sense at all. He watched her shoulders heave with her quiet sobs for a minute, afraid to reach out and touch her. Finally he couldn't stand it anymore – she was HURTING, and he couldn't let it go on. He slid over next to her and tentatively, gently, put his arm around her.

It must have been the right thing to do, because she buried her face in his chest and let the tears come freely. He wrapped both arms around her and rocked her a little bit, trying to comfort her and having not the slightest clue what to say.

Eventually she stopped crying, but it took Kristoff long minutes to realize she had actually fallen asleep, her breathing slow and regular. It was the quiet snore that finally tipped him off. He gathered her up and moved her to the sleeping furs, removing her boots and making sure she was comfortable.

Satisfied, he grabbed his blanket and moved over to where Sven was laying, chomping on one of the few carrots Kristoff had been able to buy. Settling himself against his friend's fur, Kristoff pulled his cap over his eyes and fell into a deep sleep, wondering what he would say to Anna in the morning.


	4. Chapter 4

**An Act of True Love – Chapter 4**

The sunlight hitting him in the face disoriented Kristoff. He remembered why he was camping out here, then shook off the sleepiness and looked over to where Anna was still asleep, wrapped in the furs, with nothing but her cap sticking out. He smiled at the sight, then got up to refresh the fire and make some groats for breakfast.

"Hey, Feisty Pants, time to wake up!" Kristoff poked her gently. Then a little less gently. Then with a bit of a rough shove. Apparently Anna was one of those people who slept so deeply that waking them up took drastic measures. It took a little bit of snow down the blanket around her neck to finally wake her up.

"Hey!" she hollered as she threw off the fur. "What? It's too early!"

Kristoff waved a cup of coffee toward her and said, "Come on, Anna! We need to get to Elsa, remember?"

Coffee and Elsa got Anna to crawl out of the blankets and rub the sleep out of her eyes. Slurping her coffee down, she accepted the bowl of groats from Kristoff and dug in.

Eating quickly and cleaning up their camp, they were on their way to Elsa's cave in a few minutes. Just as Kristoff was ready to flick the reins to get Sven moving, someone called out, "Hey, Anna, wait for me!"

"Olaf? How did you find us?" Anna asked the little snowlem as he ran up and hopped into the wagon.

"I heard some people talking about you being gone, and they were worried about you so I decided to come find you and make sure you were okay!" he replied with a wide, toothy grin. "And here I am!"

"But … how did you know where I was?" she asked.

"I just knew." Olaf looked past Anna and waved at Sven. "Hi, Sven!"

Kristoff flicked the reins and got the sled moving, then said, "Anna, it's a mystery. Considering everything else that has been going on, let's call it magic and not worry about it."

A few miles up the trail, Kristoff gathered his courage and asked Anna, "Uh … do you want to talk about last night?"

She brushed a loose strand of hair back under her cap and shook her head. Kristoff didn't press her. Anna would talk when she felt like talking.

Ten minutes later she said, "I thought it was true love. But it wasn't. I was a fool. Hans is very nice, but Elsa was right, you can't marry a man you just met." Her voice was soft, so soft he could hardly hear her over the sound of the runners on the snow and Sven's hoofbeats.

Kristoff decided listening was better than talking. Anna looked at him and sighed. "Aren't you going to say 'I told you so'?"

"Uh, no?"

"Why not? You were right."

He thought a minute and replied, "It's not about who was right. It's about how you feel and what will make you happy. You were behind the castle walls for a long time. It's not hard to see why Hans made you feel so good at the ball, Anna. Maybe you'll regain those feelings again once Elsa is back."

"I … don't think so." She glanced up at him, but his eyes were on the trail, looking for anything that would cause the sled a problem. "I … think … maybe I should let my feelings develop a little more slowly."

"But … he's a Prince, Anna. He's someone appropriate for you. And if … if we can't figure out how to free Elsa, you're going to be the Queen. You'll need someone like Hans as a consort." Kristoff tried to keep his voice level and reasonable.

Anna shrugged and dropped the conversation.

It took them another hour to get close to the cave where they had hidden Elsa. The last half-mile was a little too steep for Sven to easily pull the sled up, so Kristoff left him and Olaf at the side of the trail and gave them firm instructions not to get into any trouble. He grabbed his leather supply bag with his rope and ice pick, and led Anna up the trail to the cave.

"Huh, looks like no one found this place – no tracks, not even animal tracks. I'll open the cave and bring her out where we can see her in full daylight." Kristoff laid his bag down, took off his cap and jacket, and heaved the boulder sealing the cave out of the way. He brought Elsa out and set her down so they could look her over.

Anna couldn't stop the tears welling up as she stroked Elsa's frozen cheek. "Oh, Elsa, what are we gonna do?"

After a few moments Kristoff spoke up, "Anna, she looks fine, except for the whole being frozen thing. Let's put her back where she'll be safe and go on to my family, okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, we should do that." Anna sighed, wiped her tears off and leaned in for a quick kiss on Elsa's cheek. Oddly, there was no sense of cold as she did so. Her sister felt … warm.

Kristoff waited for her to step away before moving in to pick Elsa up and return her to the cave, but Anna stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Wait, Kristoff. I need to tell you something."

He looked at her and nodded, "Okay. What?"

She took a deep breath and looked back at Elsa, then at Kristoff. "I … I appreciate your help more than I can tell you. Without you, I'd be dead, Elsa might be dead, who knows what else. And you came along with me at first because I bought your tools and carrots, but that doesn't explain why you stayed after we found my sister."

"Why don't you just assume I selfishly wanted that replacement sled? Greed counts for a lot, you know." Kristoff's cheeks were flushed and he fidgeted from one foot to the other. He looked over Anna's shoulder to avoid meeting her glance.

"No, I know that's not it. You are a friend, I consider you a friend, and … maybe that's a good start."

"A good start on what?" Now he looked at her; he had no idea what she was talking about.

"Becoming … more than friends." Anna was blushing now. The clue stick finally whacked Kristoff upside the head, and he was stunned at what he thought she was saying.

"Anna, I'm a commoner, an ice harvester. You can't be suggesting what I think you're suggesting. That's … beyond a dream for me, to think that a Princess could possibly think we might have a future together."

Anna was about to respond when another voice interrupted her.

"You have no future, either of you!"

Hans and the two guards the Duke of Weaselton had brought along to Arendelle stepped out from behind some trees. The two thugs had very lethal-looking crossbows pointed at Anna and Kristoff. Hans had a sword at his belt and a gloating smirk on his face.

He glanced at Elsa and added, "and neither does she!"

Anna and Kristoff gaped at the three men who threatened them.

Hans said, "I would suggest that you make no sudden moves, either of you. These two gentlemen are quite competent with those crossbows, and the quarrels have the hunting points that would bleed out a stag at fifty paces."

"Hans! What are you doing here?" Anna demanded.

He shrugged. "A few gold coins in the hands of the stableboys kept me informed of your movements. When you and this … commoner … disappeared, I found your naive little snowman and made sure he overheard us talking about how dangerous it could be for you to be out in the mountains. I figured he would try to find you, and I was right. He was easy to follow and he led us right to you. And you led us right to Queen Elsa." He preened at his own brilliance.

The larger of the two thugs walked behind Kristoff and prodded him with the crossbow. Kristoff felt the sharp point even through his leathers. He raised his hands and fumed, hoping to find an opening to get out of this predicament. But he couldn't do anything that would put Anna in danger.

The younger thug put his crossbow down, then grabbed Anna from behind, wrapping her in his arms and walking her a few paces away from Kristoff. She struggled to get free, but he was too strong for her.

Hans strolled over and backhanded Kristoff across his face, stunning him. "Peasant! How dare you dream of having a Princess? MY Princess!" Hans snarled. Then he grinned and turned to Anna.

"And you, comporting yourself below your station with this … this reindeer herder. It seems the stock of the Arendelle Royal Line is weak, soft and weak. It's good then that you shall not be my queen. MY children must be strong enough to rule with a firm hand, like their father."

Anna struggled furiously and still couldn't break the grasp of Weaselton's goon. "What are you babbling about, Hans? And what mythical kingdom do you think you're going to be king of, because it isn't Arendelle! We're not married, and I wouldn't marry a slime like you if you were the last man on earth!"

Walking up to her and talking her chin in his hand, Hans leaned down and smirked, "But you shall marry me, Anna. These two fine gentlemen shall testify that you were so overcome with grief at the fate of your sister that you insisted we say our wedding vows. These men are the two witnesses required for a valid marriage and will say so when we return to Arendelle … with your dead body and the body of your murderer!" Anna pulled her chin from his hand and spat at him. It only amused him. He had the upper hand and everything he had worked for was now within his grasp.

Hans walked over to where Kristoff's leather bag lay on the ground, bent over and rummaged in it for a moment, then stood up with Kristoff's ice pick in his hand. "Tragic, really. Right after we said our marriage vows, this murderous peasant, in a fit of jealous rage, struck you down with this, then turned on me. Fortunately, I was able to kill him with my sword – " Hans patted the hilt where it hung on his hip, " – and comfort you as you breathed your last, my darling wife."

"You'll never get away with this!" Anna snarled, still struggling to escape.

Another knowing smirk, "Why, I already have!" Throwing the ice pick down for later use, he strode over to where Elsa's frozen body stood, sightlessly gazing on the tragic tableau unfolding before her. "Now, I shall destroy the Snow Queen, and bring back summer. I am the hero that saves Arendelle, and I will be acclaimed as the King I am meant to be." He drew his sword and raised it to shatter Elsa's icy form.

"NO!" Anna screamed, then kicked backwards into the thug's knee. It distracted him just enough to let her drop to the ground out of his grasp, then scramble to her feet and run toward Hans. She wasn't thinking – her heart was in complete control. She had to protect Elsa from Hans' sword, she wouldn't let him kill her sister.

Anna's head knew that it was a futile attempt at rescue, that she would not survive the sword stroke. Anna didn't care if she died, she had to try, she had to save Elsa.

Everything seemed to slow down – her steps, Hans' arm as he brought the sword down aimed right at Elsa's neck. Kristoff looked on in horror, he knew he was witnessing the death of both sisters and he was helpless to stop it.

Anna stumbled at the last, just enough to slow her by a second, a tenth of a second, a hundredth of a second. Just enough that she couldn't get between the sword and Elsa as it came crashing down onto the ice statue. "NO!" she screamed again, wailing in despair as she knew she had failed.

Hans was a strong man and his sword stroke would have shattered ordinary ice into a million pieces. But Elsa's body was not ordinary ice – it was magical ice, stronger than the strongest metal known to mankind. As the sword almost touched her, it froze – froze, and shattered.

The magical blow-back from the failed killing attempt blasted Hans and Anna away from Elsa, knocking them both unconscious. The two thugs were knocked out as well. But Kristoff, maybe because he had spent so much time with the magical trolls, was only stunned. On his hands and knees, dazed, he shook his head, trying to clear his vision, looking at Anna's unmoving body. A croaked whisper of "Anna ..." was all he could manage.

As he tried to crawl over to Anna, something caught his eye. Elsa was changing – the change radiating from her heart. She was thawing. In a few seconds, she was alive, panting, staring around in confusion until her gaze fell on Anna's still form.

"Anna, no!" she shrieked, then ran to her sister to cradle her in her arms, weeping in fear and grief. "Oh, no, no, please no, Anna, what have I done!" Rocking her sister as she held her close, just as she had done thirteen years before, her heart broken yet again as the shame and guilt slammed back into her a hundredfold. The only sounds to be heard were Elsa's anguished sobs as she hugged Anna, touching her for the first time in forever.

Anna wasn't dead, just stunned by the magical force that had emanated from Hans' sword as it shattered against Elsa's icy body. Groggy, she blinked open her eyes, trying to understand who was crying and holding her so close. "Elsa?" she managed to mumble.

"ANNA! You're alive!" Elsa's despair instantly turned to joy and she hugged Anna even harder.

"Breathe, Elsa, I need to breathe ..." Anna managed to stammer out from under the smothering hugs of her sister. She liked the hugs, no doubt, she was ecstatic that Elsa had come back to life, but … breathing was nice, too.

The two of them managed to sit up and Elsa took Anna's hands in her own. "Oh, Anna, I thought you were dead. That I had killed you this time!"

Smiling, Anna said, "No, you were the one that was dead … or, maybe just frozen. Do you remember anything?"

Puzzled, Elsa looked thoughtful, then shook her head. "No, the last thing I remember is you and Olaf and someone I didn't know coming to the ice palace. Then … nothing. What happened?"

By this time, Kristoff had recovered his composure. Looking around, he saw that Hans and the two thugs were still out cold, and decided he needed to make sure they stayed harmless. He grabbed his bag and pulled out his rope. It didn't take long to securely truss up the three miscreants. They still showed no signs of consciousness, so he put his ice pick back in the bag, made sure none of them had any hidden knives, then rolled them into a neat row several yards away from Anna and Elsa, not caring too much if any snow-hidden rocks bruised them. Satisfied, he walked slowly toward the two women, knowing that he was a complete stranger to Elsa and that he needed to be as non-threatening as possible.

Stopping a few feet away, he knelt and asked, "Anna, are you two okay?"

Elsa pulled back a little, but Anna tugged on her hands and smiled, then said, "It's okay, Elsa, he's a friend. He helped me find you at the Ice Palace, then took us to the trolls when you froze yourself."

"The … the trolls?" Elsa whispered. Her memories of the trolls were not good ones. "How did you find out about the trolls?"

"Your Majesty, I took Anna to the trolls because I knew they could help. Thirteen years ago, I was hiding and watching your father bring you to GrandPabbie," Kristoff answered Elsa's question. He continued, "I didn't understand everything that happened then, but when you froze in the Ice Palace, I knew they could help."

"The trolls are Kristoff's family, Elsa. They adopted him that night!" Anna interjected.

Elsa still looked uncertain, then suddenly gasped and pulled back from Anna as she realized she was too close to her and remembered how she had hurt her sister before. "Stay back, Anna, I don't want to hurt you!" She clasped her hands to her breast and scrabbled backwards, trying to put some distance between herself and her sister.

"Elsa, Elsa, it's okay! I know all about the accident, Pabbie told me. You won't hurt me anymore, I won't let you hide yourself away anymore. I love you!" Anna reached out, hoping to convince her sister. She crept closer to Elsa, finally close enough to wrap her arms around her in a hug.

Elsa's composure broke. It felt so good to be in Anna's arms, she leaned in and began to weep onto her sister's shoulder, forgetting the fear, the guilt, the shame, and letting herself be loved again. Anna held her close, caressing her hair and trying to soothe Elsa with reassuring words, words that included 'I love you' and 'You're safe now'.

Kristoff let them have their moment. A grunt from behind them drew his attention, so he got up and walked over to the three prisoners. They were all coming awake, struggling to free themselves from their bonds. Kristoff smirked. He knew rope and knots. They weren't going to get out of those ropes any time soon. "Don't struggle too hard, boys. Those knots actually get tighter if you do. Don't want to lose a hand to gangrene, do you?"

Hans glared at him, but said nothing. The futile attempts to free themselves left the men panting from the exertion and no closer to freedom. They finally gave up and stopped trying.

A quick glance over his shoulder told Kristoff the two sisters were so engaged in their reunion they were paying no attention to him. He leaned down with his hands on his knees and spoke so softly only Hans and the Weasels could hear. "Just remember this, in case you are thinking of causing us grief on the trip back to town. I know these mountains, every canyon and crevice. Frankly, it'd be easier for me to just toss you into one where your bodies would never be found than drag you back to Arendelle. So, just be grateful for small favors, hey?"

To emphasize his feelings on the matter, Kristoff spat on the ground in contempt, then walked back to Elsa and Anna.

Elsa had managed a feeble smile as she asked Anna, "How … how did you get me to thaw?"

Anna shrugged. "I have no idea, Elsa. When we went to the trolls, GrandPabbie, the eldest, you remember him the one with the awesome moss cape? … said something about you needing to perform an act of true love which didn't make any sense because you were frozen solid and couldn't do anything ..." Anna was so happy to have Elsa back she was rambling.

Her ramblings tickled something in Kristoff's memory, though. He cleared his throat and said, "Anna? Your Majesty? I think I know what happened."

"What, Kristoff?" asked Anna.

"Uh, well, do you remember the old troll prophecy the school kids sing at the Spring Pageant every year?"

Elsa spoke up, her voice sad and wistful. "I'm afraid not, Kristoff. Neither of us had been to a Spring Pageant since the … the accident." Anna nodded in agreement.

"Well, the key part of it goes like this:

 _With blasts of cold will come dark art,  
And a ruler with a frozen heart!  
Then all will perish in snow and ice!  
Unless you are freed with a sword sacrifice!"_

"Ooookay. And?" Anna prompted him.

"Pabbie said that an act of true love will thaw a frozen heart. Anna, you were willing to be the sword sacrifice for Elsa, the ruler with a frozen heart – if dying to save someone else's life isn't an act of true love, I'm not sure what would be." Kristoff hesitated, then continued, his voice grim. "And except for the luck of that stumble, you would have died, Anna. Hans would have killed you. But the willingness to sacrifice yourself was enough to thaw Elsa."

Elsa drew into herself again and shuddered, trying to banish the vision of waking from her frozen state to see Anna's mutilated and bloody corpse lying at her feet instead of a living, breathing, loving sister warm in her arms. Anna immediately pulled her into a hug. "Elsa, love will thaw. Love DID thaw! We're together again, and nothing will ever push us apart, you hear me?"

Elsa managed a nod, then took a deep breath to calm herself.

Kristoff nodded, too, then noticed something. "Hey, love will thaw for sure! Look around!"

Anna looked around and gasped. "Look, Elsa! The snow is melting!"

Indeed, a large circle all around them was dry and green again. "Love will thaw," muttered Elsa. "Love! Of course!" She stood, then gestured with a sweeping wave of her hand. More snow melted where she pointed. "That's it, that's how I can bring back summer!"

Anna had stood when Elsa did, now she squealed and clapped, "Yes! Let's get back down to Arendelle and thaw everything else!"

"But, Anna, they'll hate me, they think I'm a monster, I've destroyed everything, people will starve, the crops are ruined – " Elsa's voice was quivering in fear at what she would face when she returned to her people.

"I'm not so sure of that, Your Majesty," Kristoff interrupted. "Look around us at the flowers."

The little glen they were in was covered in clover, and the white clover flowers were undamaged. There were also several patches of crocus flowers, in full bloom and providing a sweet scent.

"How … how can that be?" Elsa asked in a hushed voice. She looked at Anna for reassurance, then gasped. "Anna, your hair!"

"What about my hair?" Anna didn't have any idea what Elsa was talking about. Elsa pointed at her right-hand braid – a braid that was pure ginger again, not a single strand of white to be seen.

Kristoff laughed at the stunned look on Anna's face, then said, "Love's a force that's powerful and strange, Anna. Your Majesty, I suspect that when you get back down to the castle and thaw the rest of the kingdom, everything will be fine."

"Elsa," the Queen said.

"Huh?"

"Kristoff, please, call me Elsa. It seems I owe you much. My life, my kingdom, and most importantly, my sister. Let there be no formality between us," Elsa insisted. If her intuition was correct, they would be seeing quite a lot of each other in the future.

"Oookay … Elsa." Kristoff wasn't going to argue with his Queen.

Anna was fidgeting. "Okay, how DO we get back, with those three to carry?" She pointed at Hans and the two thugs.

It was a rhetorical question but the Fates answered it in the form of a reindeer – with a snowman on his back – pulling the sled. It was Olaf and Sven, catching up to them. "I'll rescue you, Anna!" Olaf jumped off Sven's back and looked around for someone to fight.

"We don't need rescuing, Olaf, but we're sure glad to see you!" Anna told him as she wrapped her arm through Elsa's. Elsa was smiling, too, at her little snowman's antics. The smile didn't last long, though, as it seemed Olaf was melting in the warmth of the thawed out glen.

He looked at Elsa and Anna and said, "Some people are worth melting for. This is the happiest day of my life, even if it is the last!" And he began to melt into a puddle.

"Oh, Olaf! Hang on, little guy!" Elsa waved a hand at him and rebuilt him good as new. A final wrist flick created a little snow cloud above his head, with a gentle snowfall coming down to keep him cool.

"My own personal flurry!" Olaf exclaimed in joy, then giggled.

"Let's get back to Arendelle, shall we?" Kristoff asked.

He was strong enough to haul Hans and the two Weaseltown thugs into the sled, even the big thug. He ignored the grunts and mutters as they squirmed, then went to help Elsa and Anna onto the driver's seat. He climbed up, took the reins and flicked them gently. Olaf was again riding on Sven's back for the trip down to Arendelle.

Anna was in the middle, her sister on one side, her … friend ... Kristoff on the other. She couldn't be happier. She began to hum a little tune.

Elsa was still hanging on to Anna's arm, and asked, "That's familiar. What is it?"

"Don't you remember?" Anna began to sing softly.

" _But you and me, we, have big ideas of our own  
For the distant someday when we're grown ..."_

Elsa joined in: _"When I'm queen..."_

Anna: " _And I'm your right hand ..."_

Elsa: _"You'll get to travel .. "_

Together: _"Throughout the land!"_

Anna saw her own joy reflected in Elsa's blue eyes and continued, _"I'll tell them of my sister and the magic things she can do!"  
_  
Elsa leaned into Anna's warmth and responded, _"We'll take care of our people and they will love … "_

They finished together, _"Me and you! No one can tell us what a princess should be, as long as we're together, you and me."_

"We're together again, Elsa. And nothing, nothing will ever separate us again, ever!" Anna spoke firmly, patting her sister's arm.

Elsa smiled in agreement. "You and me, Anna. Forever."

Elsa was confident now that she could face what awaited them down in Arendelle. That she could bring back summer, and rule her kingdom the way she had been trained by her father. That as long as she had her sister back, she could handle anything.

And the first thing she would do when they got back was order her Royal Guardsmen to open the gates. She must have muttered that out loud, because Anna squealed happily and said, "I'll like the open gates!"

Elsa looked at her brave, beautiful, wonderful sister and said, "We are never closing them again!"

~fin~

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Well, that was fun. Hope you enjoyed it.

Just as a note, this story is not in any of my headcanon universes. Hence the absence of my usual OCs. It's strictly a one-time effort for "Frozen Fandom Month 2015" on tumblr. I honestly didn't think it would get this big.

Reviews, please! Authors love reviews!

Come find me on tumblr. The link is in my profile.


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